Kyle Petty has expressed his opposition to parity in NASCAR. The introduction of the Next-Gen cars in the 2022 season aimed to make the field more equal by providing similar cars. However, this came at a cost, particularly on short-tracks, where the aero features and tiers of the car reduced the number of events, passing opportunities, and overall entertainment during races.
This approach also prevented drivers from becoming dominant champions, like those in their peak years. Kyle Petty, a former NASCAR racer with eight career wins in the top-tier, explained why he dislikes seeing parity in the sport. He believes it diminishes the chance of having dominant champions and reduces drivers’ opportunities to measure themselves against the best. According to him, the current field has everyone measuring themselves against each other, which he feels is not suitable.
During a recent episode of Dale Jr. Download, Kyle Petty and his father Richard Petty, a seven-time Cup championship winner, discussed how the pursuit of parity has changed the sport and how drivers used to make a real difference in the past. In the 70s, there were no special packages for different tracks. Drivers would learn their trade on short tracks before taking on challenges at intermediates and superspeedways. Unlike the current focus on aero packages, teams back then would make changes to mechanical parts, making the race results more dependent on the drivers rather than just the car.
While parity has brought competitiveness to the sport, it has also had drawbacks. NASCAR should find a solution to improve racing and make it more entertaining while maintaining a balanced level of parity. In this context, the Next-Gen cars could truly make a difference.